Ben Miller is to play a villain on Doctor Who, facing off against Peter Capaldi in the forthcoming season. Miller, best known for his comedy work opposite Alexander Armstrong, will appear in an episode penned by Mark Gatiss set to air later in 2014.

"As a committed Whovian I cannot believe my luck in joining the Twelfth Doctor for one of his inaugural adventures," the actor and comic said, "My only worry is that they'll make me leave the set when I'm not filming."

"Mark Gatiss has written us a storming villain for his new episode," said lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat.

"With Capaldi in the TARDIS, we knew we needed somebody special to send everybody behind the sofa. And quite frankly, it's about time Ben Miller was in Doctor Who!" he added.

Miller, 48, has also starred in BBC One's Death in Paradise and appeared in the ITV sci-fi series Primeval, both of which appealed to viewers and critics alike. He also provided voice work for the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Other stars joining Miller in the next series of Doctor Who include Line of Duty'sKeeley Hawes and Tom Riley, of Da Vinci's Demons.

Capaldi - best known for playing the belligerent spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker on The Thick Of It - was named as Matt Smith's successor in 2013. He made his first appearance during the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor in November 2014, taking over the role during the Christmas Day special The Time of the Doctor.